The sky is overcast this morning,
The biting cold wind blew through the door of the police station. Dean raised his collar, stepped in quickly, and saw two familiar figures face to face.
"Carl, Holden," Dean greeted him, "Did the department receive a missing case this morning?"
"Ms. Grace Spencer's case? She disappeared less than twenty-four hours ago," Karl crossed his arms and shook his head. "According to regulations, the case cannot be opened so quickly."
"Her son Rust is my best friend. Just to speed things up a bit, I'll treat everyone to a seafood dinner when the case is solved?"
Carl raised his American butt chin and stared at Dean with a sincere face.
Next to him, his old teammate Holden couldn’t help but help,
"Don't worry, man, we know what to do. Just wait for the good news."
…
Dean entered the hallway;
On the bench, Rust was wearing a gray sweater and blue striped pants. His bruised face was as tight as a plaster. He lowered his head slightly, looking at the ground in concentration, with his hands clasped tightly around his body. Her breathing was messy, her butt moved on the chair, and she seemed restless.
As soon as he raised his head, he immediately came over excitedly and held Dean's hand firmly. "Help me, Grace is missing. I've searched everywhere I can and there's no clue! My dad is long gone." , I only have Grace, nothing can happen to her!"
"Relax, I just had a chat with the police officer. They will immediately send someone to retrieve the surveillance video and find someone to question."
"And Grace is an adult and knows how to take care of herself." Dean led his companion to sit back on the chair. "Maybe she just got drunk at a party with friends and new colleagues, and I can't inform you for the time being."
"It would be nice if it was like that."
"Tell me again...when did Grace disappear?"
"Yesterday at seven o'clock in the morning, Grace made breakfast for me. As usual, she wore a blue blouse and a suit skirt and went out to drive." Rust's lips trembled, "I thought she was driving to the hotel for work. , but she has not returned since she left home, and her car is not in the parking lot."
"She may have encountered some unexpected situation, such as working the night shift on behalf of a colleague." Dean looked into Rust's eyes calmly, "Didn't you say last time that she has been very busy at work recently and comes home late every day?"
"The key point is that Grace didn't go to work at all." Rust growled.
"What do you mean?" Dean's eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition filled his heart.
"I haven't received her call home every night shift, so I couldn't help but go to the Gowen Hotel where she works at around five o'clock this morning and ask." Rust's voice paused, and his expression changed. He became pale, his mouth opened into an O shape, and he looked extremely frightened, "Do you know what Grace's colleagues said?"
"Grace has resigned for almost a month, and she took the initiative!"
"From January to February now, nearly a month, she has not worked in a hotel at all!"
call--
The cold wind outside the door blew through the corridor.
Dean shrank his shoulders for a moment and realized a big problem.
"And Grace still goes out in her work clothes every morning as usual?"
"Yes, I didn't go home until 11 or 12 o'clock at night, which is very regular." Rust's voice rose and fell like a roller coaster, and his face changed uncertainly, "She was creating an illusion with me, as if she was very busy at work, everything Everything is normal."
"Dean, I don't understand why this is happening! Please, help me think of a way to find Grace."
As Rust's words fell to the ground.
A prompt flashed before Dean's eyes, you triggered a new event——
Missing Grace (Event 2/2)
Your classmate Rust's mother left without saying goodbye one morning. It is still unclear whether she left on her own initiative or suffered an accident.
And a month before that, Grace carefully disguised herself and hid the fact of her resignation from her son.
What kind of secrets are hidden in it?
The event stems from Rust's strong feelings. You must take him with you to find the answer and let him witness the end of Grace with his own eyes.
Event Difficulty: Medium
Progress (0/100)
Deadline: one week
Reward: 100 experience points + special rewards.
Punishment: None…
…
witness?
Dean felt an extremely bad feeling in his head. He took a deep breath, raised his voice, and strengthened his confidence.
"Don't worry, Rust. Looking on the bright side, Grace has probably found a new job before resigning and is currently working in another hotel."
"You were waiting for the college admission notice. As a mother, Grace definitely didn't want to distract you. So I didn't tell you!"
"Stop comforting me." Rust covered his face and said worriedly, "Gris and I have lived in Las Vegas for so many years, and I know her. If she just changes jobs, she can't die. Hidden from me.”
"She must be in some big trouble."
Dean's face darkened, "Has she behaved in any unusual way recently? For example, she said something strange to you?"
Rust lowered his head;
"If I have to talk about strange behavior, there is one such thing. In the past month, she has taken a shower more frequently than before, three times a day, and sometimes she has to go home and take a shower at noon."
"Sometimes when I'm sleeping, I can faintly hear the sound of running water in the bathroom."
The investigation progress jumped to five percent.
…
How often do you shower?
Dean crossed his legs on the bench and rubbed his chin
Grace has resigned from her job, but she still wears a blue blouse and a smart suit with a skirt every day. She goes out early and comes back late, and takes frequent showers when she comes home.
So what kind of physical work does she do outside during the day?
Wandering around in boredom?
Dean frowned and thought of another less honorable possibility, but he couldn't jump to conclusions yet.
Seeing his friend's silence, Rust became a little impatient. He cupped his left fist with his right hand and turned in a circle, "Shall we follow the police officers to investigate?"
Dean shook his head.
"The process of finding people to interrogate and obtaining surveillance is boring and tiring. It's better to let professionals take charge. Let's change the direction of the investigation."
Dean began to let his imagination run wild.
Grace left home yesterday and did not show any abnormality before that.
The 100 experience points for the event just reached the threshold of medium difficulty. There is a high probability that it involves the supernatural, so it is better to broaden your horizons.
Except for Grace, did the environment around her and the people around her have any unusual experiences or show abnormal signs?
Dean thought about this and glanced at the faint bruises on Rust's face.
"What's wrong with your face?"
"On my way home from school the day before yesterday, I was blocked and beaten by some gangsters." Rust said casually, "But I'm almost done. It's okay for me. It's more important to find Grace."
"Have you ever offended them?"
"No, I haven't even talked to them."
"Then they just beat you up? They didn't steal your money?"
"That's not true. I'm surprised too."
Dean nodded, "You were beaten for no reason the day before yesterday, and one day later, your mother suddenly disappeared. Is this a coincidence?"
The adjustment progress jumped from 5% to 10%.
Rust was stunned for a moment and shook his head with a ridiculous expression.
"This is too outrageous. How can these three gangsters be connected with my mother's disappearance?"
"Answer my question first," Dean asked, "Do you remember what those three people look like?"
"I will turn to ashes and I will never forget it. They overturned my bicycle, rode on me, and punched me in the face...as fierce as wolf cubs." Rust gritted his teeth, "By the way, I often see them. Hanging around my house."
"Let's go back to the place where you were attacked to try your luck. I'll search your house on the way."
…
The two left the LVPD and drove to the apartment where Rust lived, located behind a deserted department store.
Good luck favored them.
When the two of them passed by the supermarket, Rust paused and turned his eyes. Three young men walking out of the supermarket, talking and laughing.
They are all white, aged nineteen or twenty, with a layer of black fluff on their mouths, hair dyed red, green and blue, shiny earrings, sweatshirts, fashionable sneakers, and carrying large bags of potatoes in their hands. Coke.
He was humming and singing the most popular song at the moment.
If paired with a CDplayer released a few years later, they would be the underage street gangsters in Dean's impression.
"That's them." Rust gestured to Dean excitedly.
Dean tilted his neck at the surveillance camera at the entrance of the supermarket, and the camera suddenly turned to the other side.
He walked straight towards the three of them.
Rust's vision was blurry and he didn't even see his companions' movements clearly. Muffled groans started to sound one after another, and the three gangsters fell to the ground inexplicably.
"Why are you standing there, man? Help me get them to the back alley."
…
Next to the dumpster in the back alley.
"Fakeyu, if you don't finish it, I'm going to have someone blow your head off."
"Wait for me, you will cry worse than a dead pig!"
The three gangsters uttered harsh words forcefully, and the next second, they themselves let out screams like slaughtered pigs. Amidst the crackling slaps, the three smooth young faces were bulging with shocking bruises.
"Uh...hiss...uh...hiss..."
As if that wasn't enough, Dean grabbed the freckled man's neck with one hand and forcibly lifted his feet off the ground, as if he was being hung on a gallows.
Until the other person kicked his feet wildly, his face turned from red to white, he was foaming at the mouth, and he was about to suffocate to death, then Last pulled his arm.
Dean waved his hand casually and threw him into the corner like trash.
The man who narrowly escaped death gasped for air with a look of horror on his face. The two companions around him were even more afraid to breathe for fear of offending this strangely powerful man.
Dean nodded upon seeing this, slowed down his speaking speed and enunciated his words clearly.
"Now listen. I ask and you answer."
"I'm not over 18 years old, and I'm not committing a crime by killing people, understand?" Dean's tone was as calm as water, and his eyes were like knives piercing the hearts of the three of them.
"I understand, sir, I understand!" The freckled-faced gangster sniffed his nose and trembled all over. This Asian's indifferent eyes were only seen in those who had been imprisoned for decades and had just come out. Saw it on a murderer in prison.
The opponent is 100% stained with blood!
The other two companions curled up into a ball, like wild dogs with their tails between their legs.
"Do you know why you attacked him a few days ago?" Dean pointed at Rust.
The freckled man wiped his nosebleed,
"We were not in a good mood and wanted to find a punching bag. And this pretty boy seemed easy to bully, so..."
Rust's face darkened, and he felt aggrieved.
Why do you mean I look easy to bully!
The freckled man licked the blood that flowed to his lips and looked at Dean timidly, "We didn't mean it, we didn't know he had a friend as good as you, otherwise we wouldn't have dared to touch him even if we had ten of our guts! "
There was a slap, a pop, and a bloody nose. The man spun 360 degrees on the spot like a top, fell heavily to the ground and passed out.
"The price of lying." Dean turned his eyes to the second man with a cock-combed head and raised his iron palm again, trying to slap him. "You only have one chance, why did you attack him?"
"I said, don't slap me, please." The man looked at the strong hand, as frightened as he looked at the machine gun aimed at his head, and told the secret like pouring beans, "There was a man when we passed by the supermarket that day. He stopped us, gave us a hundred dollars, and told us to beat him up.”
After hearing this, Rust glanced at Dean in surprise, and he guessed it right.
Dean's inexplicable association was right.
"Go on," Dean urged, without any surprise on his face, "Who is the man who bribed you? What is his name?"
"I don't know, I don't know him!" Cockscomb Head explained hurriedly, "When we finish our 'work' and go back, he will be gone!"
"lie!"
"It's up to you. If you want to slap me, just slap me. If you tell me a lie, then lie!" The rooster-combed head broke into pieces, his eyes narrowed, and his sausage-like lips twisted in anger,
"Man." Before Dean could slap him, Last grabbed his hand and shouted, "He's in such a miserable state, I don't think he needs to lie."
"Listen, scoundrel!" Rust looked at him bitterly, "If you don't want to suffer, then quickly tell me what that man looks like."
"Truck hat, white vest, middle-aged man. Slightly fatter." The bastard who escaped the injury looked at Dean, "He is half a head shorter than you."
"By the way, I remember that there was a scar the size of a fingernail on the bridge of his nose." The third man who had been listening couldn't help but add.
Truck hat, white vest, and a scar on the bridge of his nose.
After hearing this description, Dean felt a strong sense of familiarity flash in his eyes.
Thoughts were swirling around him, and he soon became enlightened.
More than a month ago, when Dean and Holden went to the Gawain Hotel to investigate the Joan Catree case, they saw this man pestering Laglis outside the hotel.
Grace claimed at the time that the other party was just her suitor. ,
The investigation progress jumped from 5% to 15%.
…
"Do you have any impression of this scarred man? Have you seen him near home?" Dean looked at Rust,
"I have no impression, I've never seen him, and I didn't offend him."
"It's almost time to go." Dean turned to the semi-conscious freckled man, punched him twice in a row and made two panda eyes while screaming in terror.
Unsatisfied, Rust couldn't get a kick from anyone. He followed his companions in small steps amidst the pleasant screams of the other party, and looked back nervously.
"Leave them like this? Aren't you afraid they'll call the police?"
"Call the police? These three scoundrels have so many criminal records on them, how dare they enter the police station? And I'm showing mercy, they just suffered some superficial injuries." Dean explained calmly,
"Then have you thought about why the man with the scar on his face hired someone to beat me?"
"Maybe it's a threat." Dean turned his eyes and shook his head. "In short, the scar-faced man is probably related to your mother's disappearance. You have to ask someone to search for it when you return to the bureau. But now, let's search your house nearby. .”
(End of chapter)
